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Unanimous Appeals Court rules for Farm Bureau, against DEQ, in animal waste permit dispute

A unanimous panel of the state Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of the North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, and against the state Department of Environmental Quality, in a dispute over animal waste permits. Appellate judges agreed Tuesday with the Farm Bureau that three conditions tied to general animal-waste permits adopted in 2019 were state rules. None of the three conditions proceeded through the state’s official rule-making process in the Administrative Procedure Act. All of those conditions are invalid.

CJ Staff
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EV battery material facility coming to southeastern North Carolina

Epsilon Advanced Materials (EAM), India’s leading battery materials company has announced a $650 million investment in Brunswick County, North Carolina.  The 1.5 million square foot facility which will break ground in 2024, boosts hiring approximately 500 workers across the Greater Wilmington Area. The facility will produce graphite anode which is used in the production of...

CJ Staff
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State Supreme Court wrestles with lawyers’ fees in Harkers Island Bridge dispute

As the state Department of Transportation pushes ahead with its $68 million Harkers Island Bridge replacement project, the state Supreme Court focused Wednesday on a battle over roughly $90,000. That’s the amount of lawyers’ fees a Superior Court awarded plaintiffs in 2020 during their bid to block the bridge project from moving forward.

CJ Staff
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Morgan upholds death penalty, dissents in castle doctrine case, in final Supreme Court rulings

Outgoing state Supreme Court Justice Michael Morgan delivered a 183-page ruling upholding a death penalty verdict, dissented in a case involving the castle doctrine, and joined Republican colleagues to uphold a mining quarry’s challenged environmental permit during his last day on the bench.

CJ Staff

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Federal Appeals Court upholds ruling for shrimp trawlers in Clean Water Act dispute

The 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a lower court decision favoring shrimp trawlers in a dispute tied to the Clean Water Act. A three-judge appellate panel agreed unanimously with the dismissal of legal complaints against the trawler

CJ Staff
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VinFast accused of polluting waterways near Chatham County EV plant

VinFast, the Vietnamese electric vehicle maker Democrat North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper credited for leading an army of clean-energy companies coming to the state, is being criticized for polluting waterways near its $4 billion EV manufacturing plant in Chatham County. 

Theresa Opeka
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Advisory: Contaminated fish in Cape Fear River

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) has released new guidance about consuming certain types of fish from parts of the lower Cape Fear River.  The new recommendations are the latest in the fallout from the discovery of contaminants known as PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in the Cape Fear River. PFAS also known as...

CJ Staff
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PFAS barrier wall now operational

After months of delays, a barrier wall at the Chemours Fayetteville Works Site in Bladen County is complete, according to The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ). In a statement, the agency said, “As of June 11, DEQ has been notified that the barrier wall is complete. The extraction wells and treatment system are...

CJ Staff
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Fed to grant emergency exception for Wrightsville Beach renourishment

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) recently announced it will enact an emergency exception to the Coastal Barriers Resource Act The exception will allow USACE to use the Masonboro Inlet location for renourishing Wrightsville beach, work that is scheduled to begin in November. With hurricane season officially started June 1 and running through November...

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Farm Bureau details ‘sue-and-settle’ complaints about NC animal waste rules

The N.C. Farm Bureau Federation detailed concerns in a court filing Monday about a “sue-and-settle” scheme that could have influenced new state animal waste regulations. The N.C. Court of Appeals is scheduled to address the Farm Bureau’s complaint in the coming months.

CJ Staff
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